Concentration Characteristics and Correlations with Other Pollutants of Atmospheric Particulate Matter as Affected by Relevant Policies

Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023 Jan 6;20(2):1051. doi: 10.3390/ijerph20021051.

Abstract

With the increase in global environmental pollution, it is important to understand the concentration characteristics and correlations with other pollutants of atmospheric particulate matter as affected by relevant policies. The data presented in this paper were obtained at monitoring stations in Xi'an, China, in the years from 2016 to 2020, and the spatial distribution characteristics of the mass and quantity concentrations of particulate matter in the atmosphere, as well as its correlation with other pollutants, were analyzed in depth. The results showed that the annual average concentrations of PM10 and PM2.5 decreased year by year from 2016 to 2020. The annual concentrations of PM2.5 decreased by 20.3 μg/m3, and the annual concentrations of PM10 decreased by 47.3 μg/m3. The days with concentrations of PM10 exceeding the standards decreased by 82 days, with a decrease of 66.7%. The days with concentrations of PM2.5 exceeding the standards decreased by 40 days, with a decrease of 35.4%. The concentration values of PM10 and PM2.5 were roughly consistent with the monthly and daily trends. The change in monthly concentrations was U-shaped, and the change in daily concentrations showed a double-peak behavior. The highest concentrations of particulate matter appeared at about 8:00~9:00 am and 11:00 pm, and they were greatly affected by human activity. The proportion of particles of 0~1.0 μm decreased by 1.94%, and the proportion of particles of 0~2.5 μm decreased by 2.00% from 2016 to 2020. A multivariate linear regression model to calculate the concentrations of the pollutants was established. This study provides a reference for the comprehensive analysis and control of air pollutants in Xi'an and even worldwide.

Keywords: Xi’an; correlation; distribution characteristics; model; particulate matter.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Air Pollutants* / analysis
  • Air Pollution* / analysis
  • China
  • Environmental Monitoring / methods
  • Environmental Pollutants* / analysis
  • Humans
  • Particulate Matter / analysis
  • Policy
  • Seasons

Substances

  • Particulate Matter
  • Environmental Pollutants
  • Air Pollutants

Grants and funding

This research was supported by the National Key R&D Program of China (No. 2016YFC0700503) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 51808430; No. 51904220) and was supported by the Special Research Project of Shaanxi Provincial Department of Education (17JK0467).